The Eta Gamma Chapter of Phi Theta Kappa at Coffeyville Community College was named Most Outstanding Chapter in the Kansas Region at the International Honors Society’s annual Kansas Region convention. The event was held at the Holiday Inn East, Wichita, March 6-8. In addition to being named Outstanding Chapter, Eta Gamma also won first place in the College Project and Honors in Action categories. The chapter had selected as its HIA Project, “How Do Service and Therapy Dogs Enhance the Quality of Human Health?” Additional awards received by the chapter included: Distinguished Alumnus Honorable Mention, Eric Mueller; Distinguished Chapter Member, Heather Rogers, Distinguished Recognition Officer Team, Eta Gamma Office with Chapter President, Dezirae Hamrick; Distinguished Recognition Chapter Officer, Dezirae Hamrick; Five Star Chapter Development Certificate; Honorable Mention Great Idea Award; Most Outstanding Service Award, Eta Gamma Membership; Horizon Award for Advisor, Linda McFate; and first runner-up in the chapter chant/cheer competition. In the art and literature competition, Eta Gamma members received the following recognitions: Ceramics and Sculpture, Lisa Walthall, Distinguished Recognition and Rayanndra Garoutte and Dezirae Hamrick, Honorable Mention. In the drawing and painting category, Rayanndra Garoutte received Distinguished Recognition while in the photography division, Rayanndra Garoutte received Distinguished Recognition and Dezirae Hamrick, Honorable Mention. Linda McFate was elected by Kansas Region advisors to serve as chairman of the newly formed Kansas Region Advisory Council. Serving with her will be Kevin Blackwell, Neosho Community College, Ottawa, as chairman elect and Chrissy Baker, Butler County Community College, El Dorado, as secretary.
The convention featured four outstanding keynote speakers. Friday evening’s keynote was “Dr. James Naismith,” the man who invented the great world-wide game of basketball. Through an educational and entertaining first person historical re-enactment, Phi Theta Kappa members learned about Naismith being orphaned as a youth, ordained as a minister, selected as the first basketball coach at KU and also being a medical doctor, teacher, grandfather, and soldier.
Saturday morning’s keynote speaker was Kansas Region Alumnus Chris Engel-Tjaden. Chris is currently finishing his research thesis which investigates the use of an air based powder application to recover latent fingerprint evidence from a crime scene. Chris will soon obtain a master’s in Forensic Science from Nebraska Wesleyan University. He currently is a member of the Wichita Police Department serving as a Crime Scene Investigator.
Baylee DeLaurier served as Saturday afternoon keynote speaker. She introduced members to Stop Hunger Now and the Kansas Region Convention Service Project, packaging meals for persons in nutritionally poor areas of the world. Every dehydrated rice/soy meal is fortified with 21 essential vitamins and nutrients. Kansas Region members then packaged more than 5,000 meals that will be used for school funding programs to sustain lifelong change.
The final keynote speaker was James Robilotta. His unique combination of humor, personal experience, and effective strategies provided a refreshing message for student leaders.
During the convention, Colter Comstock, Eta Gamma President-Elect was voted region vice-president of correspondence and Eta Gamma Vice President of Public Relations, Jesus Medina, was selected for the Kansas Region Alumni Association Officer Board.
The next event for the Eta Gamma Chapter will be the Nerd Nation International Convention in San Antonio April 16-18. Nineteen delegates from the local chapter will attend.